Cam head for knitting machines



Jan. 8, 1929.

W. L. SMITH, JR

CAM HEAD FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed Dec. 51, 1923 Quota.

Patented Jan. 8, 1229.

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wiLLIAM L. SMITH, an, or NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, nssrenon '10 MAY nosrERY MILLS, 0E NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION 0E TENNESSEE.

CAM HEAD FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed December 31, 1923, Serial No. 683,804. Renewed May 28, 1928.

My said invention relates to a cam head for knitting machines and comprises improved actuating cams for use on knitting machine dials intended particularly for use in connection with machines for knitting stockings complete from top to toe with ribbed tops and plain feet. A cam head of this form is suitable for use in connection 'with any of the well-known types of dial and cylinder knitting machine but is peculiarly adapted for use in machines of small diameter for knitting childrens sizes. The principal object of the invention is to provide needle actuating cams on a cam head which shall operate the needles freely without binding and which shall permit the use of a larger number of needles than can be used on an ordinary head of small size.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, v

. Figure 1 is a bottom plan of the cam head of my invention with the cams in withdrawn position,

Figure projected,

Figure 3 a perspective of a needle projecting cam and actuating means for positioning it variously with respect to the heads.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a fragment of the dial cam head, and

Figure 5, a perspective of a disk used therewith. I

In the drawings reference character 10 indicates a disk which is secure to the ordinary foundation portion 10 of a cam head. This disk has located thereon a combined needle retracting and guard cam 11 so formed as to cooperate with both of the projecting cams in the operation of knitting. The particular device' 11 is an improvement ondevices hitherto used for the same purpose and cooperates in a desirable 2, a similar view with one cam manner with the other cams shown but retracting cams and guard cams of various forms, either separate or combined, maybe arranged to cooperaterwith my improved needle-projecting cams for the purpose specified, and my improved guard and needle-retracting cam device can be used to advantage with other needle-projecting cams, if desired The needle pro ecting cams which are an important feature of my invention consist of two compound cams of which the one indicated at 12 may be theknitting cam and the other at 13 a clearing or cast ofl' cam on a pivot extending through the disk 10 which disk may consist of two ormore. 'co'ncentric disks fixed together or may be otherwise made up of several parts. Cams 15 are pivoted at 16 to the respective cams 1-2 and 13 forming jointed or knuckle cams. The connection between earns 12 or 13- and 15 may bemade by means of tongues on cams 15 fitting in slots in the cams 12' and 13. The cams 15 have pins 17 projecting up into slots 18 in the disk 10. l

The pivot 14 has secured thereto at'the opposite (upper) side of disk 10 a rockarm 19 with an upwardly projecting pin 20 adapted to be connected to any suitable operating means for movingthe needle-projecting cams to the various positions assumed by them in connection with different knitting operations.

It will be'seen that as the earns 12 and 13 swing on their pivots cams 15 will be caused to move with them to a certain extent, the movement of the latter cams being, however, different from that of the first by reason of the pin and slot engagement between the cams 15 and disk 10. Difiiculty has been found in the making of childrens hosiery of the character above referred to in that the angle on the main swing cam-when in projected position is so steep that the needles will not ride on it and this difiiculty increases as the diameter of the dial (and con sequently of the stocking) decreases. With the use of my two piece knuckle earn it will be seen in Figure 2 that the needle can be started out at a much-earlier stage in its travel than when the ordinary one-piece cam is used thereby giving it much less steep angle and enabling it to operate freely.

WVith this improved cam it is also possibleto use a larger number of needles in a given diameter than with the old style cam since i flat or'low-outer parts 21, 21, 21 bounded internally at .22, 22 by ridges (Figs) the sides of which ridges merge at the ends to form sharp receding edges at 23, 28. An

edge at 24 near the opening 25 for removal of damaged needles, also slopes oif sharply and tapers. toward a point. The ridges ad-' j acent the edges 23 aretbroadened'at the bottom to extend'out'to the margin of disk 10 and thesev edges serve to open fully any latches which are only partially open. This function is of use particularly at the cast ing off side where a brush is placed to open the latches preliminary to the beginning of knitting but oftcn'fails to open them fully whereupon the rain completes the operation. The one-piece cam 11 is desirable also in that it is less expensive tomanufacture and assemble than those made in several pieces while the wear is less rapid owing to lack of joints and edges for foreign objects to catch on.

An annular disk 26 which should be made of spring steel or other equally durable material lies between the needle-projecting cams and the dial needles as indicated in dotted lines in Figures '1 and 2, said disk having a central openingat 27. The disk is held in: place by the dial post and this is true whether the machine be large or small. The utility of the disk or dial plate is not limited to knuckle cams but it is also useful in connection with dial. cams of other varieties and in fact the principle may be used wherever there is danger of injury'to the needle-butts by engagement thereof with blunt ends or knuckles of cams forming parts of the path for the needle-butts.

The disk 26, which I prefer to call a dial plate, has for its principal purpose to pre- Vent the needles traveling too far in toward the dial cam post whereby the-needle-butts might enter the openings or bays between the inside swing camsor the relatively movable parts of the cams and be sheared off. The outer diameter of this plate is such that the needles can be drawn in by the retracting cam far enough to knock over the dial the dial needles.

stitches but not'far enough to permit the needle-butts to enter the openings between the cams or parts of cams. The plate rests on top of the dial between the lower faces of'the inside swing cams and the shanks of When all of the dial needles are retracted their shanks are underneaththis plate. The use of a plate such as shown in Figure 5 or an equivalent deviceis not limited 'toc'ams of'thespecific type shown vin the drawings, a device of this character being useful with dial'cams of various conformation for the purpose of preventing needle-butts from entering irregularities or recesses inthe inner wall of the needle-butt path and being damaged.

The points at which theneedle retracting cams emerge into the; guard cams cannot readily be specified with accuracy but in general the needle'retracting cam" for the knitting side is located approximately at the lower: point marked 22 and includes the knock-over vpoint at 28, while the camratthe upper point 22 serves as a needle retracting cam for the ca'st-ing-ofi' side of the 'c'an'rhead 0r cam cap. The intermediate portions are guard cams which serve to prevent needles from. flying out of the dial when they are free of fabric. I

It will be obviousto those skillediin the art that'various minor changes may be made in my device. without departing from the spirit of my invention and therefore I do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said -in-- vention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A cam head for knitting machines comprising a supportingdisk, guard and retracting cams near the periphery of the disk, a needle projecting cam having a needle projecting section pivoted to said disk, and another needle projecting section pivoted to the first, substantially as set forth. V

2. A cam head for knitting machines comprising a' supporting disk, guard and 1 retracting cams near the peripheryof the disk,

a needle aro'ectin cam havin a needle ror i b b jecting section pivoted to said disk, and

another needleprojecting section pivoted to r the first said second section ext-ending rearwardly from the first and having a slidable pin and slot connection with the head, substantially as set forth. 7

3. A cam head for knitting machines comprising a supporting disk,guard and retract mg cams near the periphery of the disk and needle projecting cams located at opposite sides from the center of the disk each needle pro ecting cam having a needleprojecting section pivoted to the disk, and a second needle projecting section pivotally connected to the first, substantially as set forth.

4. A cam headfor knitting machines com prising a supporting disk, guard and retracting cams near the periphery of the disk and needle projecting cams located at opposite sides from the center of the disk each needle projecting cam having a needle projecting section pivoted to-the disk, and a second needle projecting section pivotally connected to the first said second section extending from. the first in. the directionof rotation of the head and: having a slidable guiding connectionwith the head, substantially as set forth. 7

- 5. A two-piece knuckle cam for operating dial knitting needles comprising aneedle projecting section pivoted to thecam head, and a needle projecting section pivoted to jecting movement of the the first-named section arranged to initiate the projectingmovement of the needles, substantially as set forth.

6. A cam head for knitting machines comprising oppositely located needle-projecting cams movable into an idle position, and a thin disk covering said cams when in said position said disk lying bet-ween the cams and the dial, substantially as set forth.

7 A knitting machine dial comprising a needle-projecting cam, aretracting cam, and a plate between the needle projecting cam and the dial said plate engaging the needlebutts to limit the inward movement of the needles, substantially as set forth.

8. A knitting machine dial comprising a needle-projecting cam, a retracting cam, and means concentric with the dial post for limiting the inward movement of the needles, substantially as set forth.

9. A knitting machine dial comprising a needle-projecting cam movable to idle position, and a plate between said cam and the dial concentric with the dial post said plate approximately v covering the cam when in idle position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. In a knitting machine, a needle projecting cam comprising two needle projecting sections extending along the path of the needles one section initiating the pro needles and the other section completing such movement, substantially as set forth.

11. In a knitting machine, a needle projecting cam comprising two needle projecting sections extending along the path of the needles one section initiating the projecting movement of the needles and the other sec tion completing such movement, apivot for connecting the last-named section to a support, and a pivot connecting said sections the two pivots being out of alinement, substantially as set forth.

12. A cam head for knitting machines comprising a supporting disk, needle projecting cams'located at opposite sides from the center of the disk each needle projecting cam having a needle-projecting section pivoted to the disk, a second needle-projecting section pivotally connected to the first, and a unitary strip of material surrounding said needle-projecting cams, said strip having integral guard and retractive cams and having a gate for entry and removal of needles, substantially as set forth.

13. A cam head for knitting machines comprising a supporting disk, needle projecting cams located at opposite sides from the center of the disk each needle projecting cam having a needle-projecting section pivoted to the disk, a second needle-projecting section pivotally connected to the first, and a unitary strip of material surrounding said -needle-pro ect1ng cams, sald strip having integral guard and retracting cams and having a gate for entry and removal of needles, there being inclined I sharp latch-opening edges on the strip adjacent the needle-projecting cams, substantially as set forth,

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Nashville, Tennessee, this 27th day of December, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-three.

WILLIAM L. SMITH, J R. 

